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Baker Leads In Division III Rankings

Volleyball, Baseball, Softball and Lacrosse Teams Ranked

Release Date:

March 27, 2012

Contact:

The Office of Sports Information

(716) 649-7900 ext. 333

Several individual student-athletes from Hilbert College appear in the NCAA Division III national rankings after the first few weeks of their respective spring seasons while the men's volleyball season winds down.

Senior Halsey Baker (Scio, NY/Scio){in photo to right} sits at the number one rank in Doubles Per Game for softball with her 1.14 average holding the top slot out of the 200 athletes ranked, in games played through March 25.The Hilbert softball team (2-5) is ranked 14th with their .369 Batting Average through seven games.

Freshman Ryan Ratajczak (Orchard Park, NY) continues deep into the men's volleyball season with his top ranking in Digs Per Set. The freshman libero holds onto the 9th position with 2.82 digs per set helping to propel the Hilbert Team to a number fifteen ranking in Digs Per Set (10.14 dps). Another first year player, Stephen Phillips (Penfield, NY) touches the ball during every Hawk possession. His 7.18 Assists Per Set ranks him at the 30th spot out of the 50 athletes listed. And Hilbert's sophomore outside hitter, Adam Weaver, is credited with 3.26 Kills Per Set which ranks him at number twenty-four. The 6-20 Hawks have one weekend left in their season so with consistent play, these three men may finish their season retaining a top spot in the men's volleyball stats.

Senior Jim Pernick holds onto two slots in the top 30 for the Hawks baseball team.The Tonawanda, NY product holds a .581 On Base Average (# 17) while his .486 Batting Average places him at number 27 in Division III.Senior Nick Sherman (Lancaster, NY) averages 11.74 Strikeouts Per Nine Innings, good for a 19th rank and he just makes the cut with a 49th rank (out of 50) with Complete Games thrown at 2.0 for the 4-8 Hawks.Sophomore first baseman Frank Mancuso (Cheektowaga, NY) is ranked 20th in the Base on Balls category with 1.0.Finally, senior Chris Hoak (Hamburg, NY) is ranked 34th in the Toughest To Strike Out category.

The Hilbert College men’s lacrosse team has earned three nods in the top 30 slots after their 1-3 start.Their highest ranking is number thirteen with 41.5 Ground Balls Per Game (out of the 185 teams ranked).Following right behind in the fourteenth slot is a team average of 8.25 in Assists Per Game.The Hawks’ 19.5 Points Per Game ranks them at number twenty-eight after two weeks of competition.

Hilbert College, located in suburban Hamburg, N.Y., south of Buffalo, is a private four-year college founded in 1957 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition. With nearly 1,100 students, Hilbert is a dynamic Western New York college that offers career-focused majors, including one of the top criminal justice programs in the region, and more than 50 minors and concentrations. The college’s engaging, student-centered campus community offers numerous leadership, internship, and service learning opportunities from which students launch successful careers while making positive changes in their communities. The Hilbert Blueprint promotes a well-rounded student experience over four years – starting with the Foundations Seminar in the freshman year, followed by Sophomore Service, Junior Symposium, and culminating with the Senior Capstone. Hilbert has expanded its academic offerings with the college’s first graduate programs and new Accelerated Degree Programs geared to adult learners.